1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and method for interactive programming of a thermostat, and more particularly, to a universally adaptable thermostat that verbally provides step by step instructions for the operating and/or programming of a programmable or non-programmable thermostat to manage temperature and time parameters in a heating and cooling system.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are several programmable thermostats now available in the market. To operate these thermostats, a user may select a plurality of times within a day and assign a desired temperature to each time. The thermostat then controls a heating and/or cooling system according to the programmed times and temperatures. Programmable thermostats of the type described above are advantageous in that they permit the thermostat to control the heating and/or cooling operation within an environment that changes over the day in accordance with the user's particular schedule, thus saving energy costs.
However, programming such thermostats can be challenging when used by people, who are not very familiar with electronic appliances and with programming procedures/systems. The displays used are usually of the “static” type, with icons and segments, and therefore are not interactive with the user; moreover, conventional devices almost always require a large number of keys, each one specialized according to function. To reduce cost some devices may use fewer keys, but a reduced number of keys also introduces confusing key combinations to memorize. Therefore, even though they may not be completely lacking in general knowledge of programming electronic devices, users are often obliged to consult the related instruction booklet (which is not always completely understandable), and the potential of the programming device can almost never be entirely exploited. Also, the blind or visually impaired are totally excluded from using these energy saving devices.
Accordingly, there is a need for a programmable thermostat that is easily installed on any heating and/or air conditioning system and easily programmable by a user, both sighted or visually impaired, having no knowledge or experience in programming.